Jack Manassas and Company

I am pretty appalled and disgusted with both the Democrats and the Republicans. Was senile Joe Biden really the best candidate that the Democrats could come up with in 2020? And for that matter, was Know-nothing Flim-Flam Man Donald Trump the best the Republicans could muster in 2016? Is it really wise to put Senior Citizens Creaking with Age into the White House? Don't get me started on anyone else. Since YOU, Gentle Reader, visit my Blog for Wisdom and Advice, I will be glad to tell you what to do about your vote this year. It really sort of depends on where you live, but in the USA, it's likely that your voting district is one of the following: A) Swing District – Not owned by Democrats, Republicans or another Party. Advice:  Cool! Keep living where you are living, get informed about the issues, and vote your conscience. B) Democrat-Owned-District (DOD) – The Democrats win at every level, every year, no matter what. Advice: If you are a happy Democrat, get...

 What to Expect from COVID A lot of numbers are being generated these days on the Coronavirus, so I thought I would play around with them and get some estimates together on what to expect in the coming year.  I know something about probabilities and formal studies, but I am not a statistician.  Nevertheless, I will try to assemble some of the data out there, and see where it takes us. COVID vs. Flu - How bad IS the Flu, Really? People know what the Flu is, and generally what to expect from it.  Naturally, people want to compare COVID to the Flu as a way to see how bad COVID is. It is extremely difficult to find data on the flu season that is created from hard numbers, vs the statistical models that seem to be created from whole cloth at the US Dept of Health.  Data from Quebec suits my purposes very well– 75% of Quebec residents do not get a flu shot.  Their health department keeps statistics on how many people are tested for flu each year, and how many...

How to Install Linux Dual-Booting with Windows 10 The PC-- Lenovo Thinkpad E590 Laptop with a 64-bit  Intel i7 processor, running pre-installed Windows 10. Introduction--Why would anyone want to do this? Generally speaking, it is a good thing to have a Linux backup system on your laptop.  Windows has always been prone to crashing and viruses.  It has happened to me more than once that a virus got through the antivirus programs that I paid for to keep my Windows files secure.  But because I had Linux on the machine, I was able to boot up in Linux, scrub the virus from the Windows side of the computer, and repair it. So when I got a new laptop, the first thing I did was to install Linux in a dual-boot configuration.  It did not go smoothly.   In fact, it seemed much more difficult than the last time I did this, several years ago. 1.  Pick a Linux Distribution.   Find out what is the minimum disk space you need to install Linux....

How to Make a Recovery Rescue Repair Disc for Windows 10 I got a new laptop that comes with Windows 10, and actually read the Win 10 Licensing Agreement. Among other things, it says that we are allowed to make a backup copy of Win 10 so that we can restore the operating system if the hard drive crashes. “This time, I’m going to be smart and make those backup copies,” I said to myself. But finding directions on how to do it was not that easy. There are two ways to back up the system. One is to create an image of the hard drive. The other is to make a rescue/repair disk. I found the disk imaging instructions, but only noticed the rescue disk directions accidentally. Here’s how you do it: From the Start Menu (Lower left corner), Click the Gear icon for Settings. Control Panel Search for ‘Save backup copies of your files with File History’ Click ‘System Image Backup’ in lower left corner of screen. Click ‘Create a System Repair Disc’ in up...